The Rosary Girls (Jessica Balzano & Kevin Byrne, #1)

The Barnes & Noble Review One of the most popular riffs on the police procedural is the partner story -- and suspense writer Richard Montanari's powerful novel rings the changes on a veteran cop/new partner situation. Kevin Byrne has years of experience with the Philadelphia Homicide Unit, a reputation for working a case for as long as it takes to solve it, and a nasty gift that sometimes gives him a vision of the perp he's after. Now that his longtime partner is sidelined by a heart attack, he has someone new riding shotgun, and it remains to be seen how she'll deal with his less-than-orthodox methods. At least Jessica Balzano is no rookie detective but three years of experience in Auto isn't the same as a stint in Homicide. But as Kevin sees it, she's earned her chance to prove herself. She's as eager as he is for a case that will push her to the limit and beyond. Jessica doesn't expect to get her big break the first day out, but that's what happens when she and Kevin are called to the scene of the murder of a parochial school student. The dead girl, clasping a rosary, has been mutilated in a way that shocks even the hardened medical examiner. And when a second teen's body is discovered and a task force is formed, Jessica is determined to make sure that she stays on the case. And if that means going the extra mile and risking her own life and sanity by immersing herself in the dark, dangerous mind of a serial killer, that's what she'll do to close the case of the Rosary Girls. Sue Stone